So Christmas has come and gone, presents have been opened and young children are still playing with the boxes their toys came in. The teenagers have used their new video games for an hour or two, skimmed through the book their grandparents gave them and tried on their new jeans.
Apparently for them, this was one of the best Christmases ever, lifechanging perhaps and now with a whole new attitude about what really matters are currently on the couch staring at their phone again.
Yes, Christmas is a time of waiting, many family members agonizing over how long it will be until those longed for presents can be opened. And of course I should mention the fact that parents also have to wait at Christmas time, wondering how long it will take for the bills to arrive and the need arise to get a second or third job again.
Thankfully, most mature people, realizing the challenge ahead to both pay for their Christmas spending and cut back and save for next year, go out and buy a new truck. Hey, Consumer Reports says January is the best time to buy new vehicles.
So, what’s the big deal with sometimes waiting for things, for change, for God to do something when we need extra help, care or encouragement? Didn’t some guy write a book about not getting caught up in the Someday Syndrome and putting important things off so long that you never do them? Oh yeah, that was me. The book is called, “NOW” in case you’re wondering and available on Amazon.
But God does also say in Scripture, quite a few times, to wait. King David wrote about it in Psalm 27, a time when he was experiencing lots of challenges from enemies, false witnesses and apparently wondering if God was even still there. Verse 9 says, “Do not hide your face from me . . . you have been my helper.” (27:9)
However, in the last verse of the chapter, he writes, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
So, as we today wait on God to do what we wish he would do right now or wait for an answer to an application, doctor’s report, outcome of a surgery, the response from a family member or simply because waiting seems wise, what are the benefits?
First, waiting sometimes helps us learn or at least remember more of the big picture. The entire Psalm 27 is filled with David’s back and forth ponderings about life, God and what he needs reminding about.
“The Lord is my light . . . who will I fear . . though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear.” But later in the chapter he begs, “Do not reject me or forsake me, O God, my Savior.” (27:9)
God seems to be walking and talking David through the basics, reminding Him that He will never leave him or forsake him and that God’s silence doesn’t mean His abandonment, it means He can still be trusted.”
So often, when life is hard or confusing, our first reaction is to want to take control and DO something to fix this. And yet, God wants us to live in faith, even when He appears silent. Verse 13, David says, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Sometimes we need those reminders before we go and just do something that will cause more damage than help.
Second, waiting can also lead us to better results than if we would have done something now. We travel a good bit, mostly for ministry, but whatever the reason Jackie often finds these great airfares. How? Many times it’s because we waited. You probably know there are apps that will monitor a certain flights price and tell you when you can get the best deal.
But you have to wait for it. God knows that sometimes taking action right away isn’t going to provide the greatest benefit. We can also learn whether to wait by talking to other wise people, those who’ve been where we want to go and can steer us in the right directions and take advantage of the right timing.
Third, learning to wait can teach us and our family how to live wisely and not just be consumer-driven or illegitimate pain-killers every time we want something or find life uncomfortable. Most addictions, which can include socially acceptable ones like shopping or working, are all about pain-killing.
God wants us to trust him, to worship Him with an uncluttered and undivided heart and sometimes we’ll only get better at that when we don’t get what we want when we want it.
So in 2025, maybe we can all watch our “wait” a little better and shed a few pounds of busyness, stuff and having it NOW. Oops, gotta go. I think I’m supposed to get something from Amazon today.
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